Improvement in m achinery for ham m ering h eads of axes



Nrren ASTATES PATENT rrrce@ LEVI DODGE, OF VVATERFORD,`NEW YORK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 54,31 l, dated May 1,1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEVI DODGE, of Water- In the manufacture of axes orsimilar tools,

after the aX-poll is made and the eye-i. e., the hole formed in theaX-head for the reception of the belve-punched out, which may be done bymeans of dies and a punch operating simultaneously, as described in thepatent granted me March 12, 1861, and reissued October 10, 1865, forimprovement in axes, &c., the poll is prepared to receive the steelblade or bit by notching that portion of it to which the steel is to bewelded. This operation of litting the steel, or bit drawing,77 as it iscalled, causes the cheeks of the aX to bulge out and become misshapen,thus upsetting and altering the shape of the eye. After the bit-drawingoperation is linished, in order to bring the ax-pollespecially theeyeback to its proper shape, it is necessary to pin out the eyethat is,to drive forcibly through the eye apin or punch of the .proper form andsize-and at the same time to hammer the head and cheeks of the ax untilthey have assumed the desired proportions. This operation, calledheadhammering,7 is done entirely by hand, and is very laborious, andconsequently expensive.

The object of my invention is to save nearly. if not all, the labor ofhead-hammering and punching; and I accomplish this by theemploymentofmechanismworking automatically, whereby the eye is re-shapedby a punch or pin, and at the same time the cheeks and head are pressedand squeezed between dies of suitable form. Under this pressure a smoothfinish is given t0 theax, which, at the same time, receives its ultimateform.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use my invention Iwill now proceed to describe its nature and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A is the frame 0f the machine. B is thehead-block, midway between whose ends is secured the rod O, by means ofwhich motion is communicated to the machine. When actuated by the rod Othe block vB slides up and down in guideways in the sides of the frame.

D D are tbrming-dies or matrices, pivoted to the head-block. On thelower part of the rear faces of these dies are pins b, which work inslots a, made in plates attached to the rear faces of the pillar-blocksI I. By this arrangement the dies, when raised by the head-block, openautomatically.

E is the beadingdie, also pivoted to the head-block B, which shapes thehead of the ax. F is a springcam, by which the headingdie E is firmlyheld against the aX-head.

It is desirable to provide for the variation there may bein manyinstances in the amount of stock or metal in the head and sides of theax, for it may often happen, when the same dies are used to shape manyaX-heads supposed to be ofthe same size, that some of the ax-heads maybe composed of a greater quantity of metal than others, and in this casethere will be danger of breaking the machine. To avoid this I usesprings in connection with the dies or the parts to which the dies areattached, so as to hold the dies firmly and preserve theform oftheaX-head, but at the same time to allow for any variation in the amountof stock or metal. In the present instance the spring is combined withand forms part of a cam, F, as shown in Fig. 3, which, while it pressesthe die E against the head of the ax, will yield, as explained above, soas to prevent injury to the machine.

G is the eye-pin inside the dies, which is inserted in the eye of the axto give it proper shape.

H H are pillar-blocks for supporting the cheek-dies in their pressureagainst the sides of the ax. They are constructed with inclined faces,so as to permit the dies to open, as above explained, when raised.

I I are plates secured to the hind faces of the blocks H H, in which arecut the slots a, for regulating the ope-ning or shutting of the dies.

From the foregoing description it will be easy to understand theoperation of this invention. The ax-head being placed in a properposition to be operated on, the dies, which have been raised, are nowlowered and embrace the cheeks and head of the ax, closing in upon thesides and pressing them into proper shape. At the same time the eye-pinis forced through the eye, and gives it the desired form and size.Having forced the piu through from one end of the eye, it is necessary,in order to make the eye true, to turn the ax, so as to force the piuthrough from the other end also.V The springcam supporting theheading-die yields to the pressure if there be more metal in the ax-pollthan the dies can contain. After this operation is completed the aX-headis finished and is ready, or nearly so, togo to the grinding without thetedious and costly operationY of handhammering.

These improvements may be used with advantage in the manufacture, notonly of axes Having thus fully described my invention, I shall state myclaims as follows:

l. The finishing of axes by the use of dies closing upon the cheeks andheads, in combination with apin7 the wholeben g constructed as describedand operating simultaneously, to give the ax its ultimate form andsmooth nish, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with thedies constructed and arranged as described,of a yielding support or spring applied in the manner substantially asherein shown and setforth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification beforetwo subscribing wity nesse's.

Witnesses:

A. PoLLoK, EDM. F. BROWN.

